In shuttleless looms that is, those looms in which the weft yarn is continuously supplied from a stationary source located outside the lateral limits of the warp yarns of the shed, it is customary to insert the weft yarn by means of a reciprocable inserter. In one such shuttleless operation a supply of weft yarn is located adjacent one side of the loom and the picks are drawn from the source and inserted into the shed formed by the warp yarns. The insertion is effected by means of an inserter carrier, or rapier type needle, which is moved into, and from, the shed by means of the reciprocable inserter.
During operation, the weft yarn is pulled from the source outside the shed and is led or passed through an aperture or eye in the carrier or needle. On the insertion and withdrawal strokes of the carrier or needle the weft yarn makes sliding contact with an edge, or edges, of the aperture of the needle.
Due to the sliding advancement of the yarn through the eye of the needle the yarn and/or the needle eye may be damaged. It has been found that when employing fiberous glass strand as the weft yarn, a conventional rapier needle can become hot enough to melt or scorch certain synthetic polymer warp yarns in some instances, if the needle should touch the warp yarns.